


the MCU ones

by amosanguis



Series: unfinished [2]
Category: Avengers
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:50:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amosanguis/pseuds/amosanguis
Summary: Various unfinished and abandoned Marvel snippets.





	1. the army reclaims bucky and steve

**Author's Note:**

> I'm cleaning out my WIPs. If any of these inspire your own fic, feel free to continue them. Please do not ask me to continue any of these.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thing is that Bucky and Steve are still Army property. Sure, given the circumstances the Army has simply let them do their own thing – but then they change their minds.
> 
> Tags: AU – Canon Divergence; Angst; Sprinkled with Domestic Fluff; Married Steve/Bucky; Amputee Puns; Freedom Puns; Bucky Discovers Paintball; Bucky no; Protective Steve; Bowling; brief mention of homophobia; Steve Rogers’s Potty Mouth; paintball is dangerous when the Avengers are involved; Wordcount: 5000+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: AU – Canon Divergence; Angst; Sprinkled with Domestic Fluff; Married Steve/Bucky; Amputee Puns; Freedom Puns; Bucky Discovers Paintball; Bucky no; Protective Steve; Bowling; brief mention of homophobia; Steve Rogers’s Potty Mouth; paintball is dangerous when the Avengers are involved
> 
> Notes: Title from “C-130” (an Army running cadence). Bucky is still enlisted for reasons and has been promoted from sergeant to staff sergeant because if anyone deserves a promotion, it’s Bucky Barnes.
> 
> I realize that this is totally implausible, but just humor me.
> 
> Terminology note: a “beating”, when used in a boot camp context, means that someone is being forced to physically train (jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, etc.); it’s a form of punishment.

-z-

 

The thing is that Bucky and Steve are still Army property.  Sure, given the circumstances the Army has simply let them do their own thing – but then they change their minds.

 

-

 

“He works for SHIELD,” Fury says, his voice cold as he stands between Steve and Bucky and the three star general that had been sent to retrieve them.

“He’s an officer in the United States Army,” the general snaps, pointing at Steve.  Then his finger points at Bucky, “And he’s lucky he hasn’t been arrested!”

The plates of Bucky’s arm whir ominously as he clenches his fists.

“‘Luck’ has nothing to do with it,” Fury growls as he puts his hands on his hips, “you try to touch him, you have to go through Captain America – which means you have to go through the public.  And that’s a battle you know you’ll lose.”

“This is pointless,” Steve finally speaks up, stepping forward.  He looks at the lieutenant general, says, “All you had to do was issue me orders.  Making a scene and trying to pick a fight is doing nothing but wasting my time, your time, and Fury’s time.  Just say where you’re sending us.”

The general holds Steve’s gaze for a minute, his eyes burning hot with indignation.  Steve doesn’t care.

 “Captain,” the general holds out a folder Steve knows will hold his official orders, “you’re going to Afghanistan.”

 

-x-

 

They tell him his assignment is so he’ll be more relatable to this generation of military.  Bucky says it’s all crap and Sam nods in slow agreement.

They also tell him that Bucky will have to stay state-side.

 

-

 

“Like hell,” Bucky snarls at the colonel who was sitting rigidly behind his desk, “you think I’m gonna let some kid right out of boot watch _his_ six?  Think a-fucking-gain.  _Sir._ ”

“Sergeant,” the colonel starts, “married couples can’t serve in the same unit.”  His eyes glance at Bucky’s metal arm, like he wants to say something about it (he doesn’t).

“You’ll be making an exception,” Steve says.

“You don’t give me orders, _captain_ ,” the colonel snaps.

Steve surges to his feet, his patience gone.  “Look here,” he spits, “we both know that if you really want to get into a pissing contest with me, _you_ will be the one lose.  We’re _here_ , okay – we want to serve.  But I have conditions.  And one of those is that my husband will be stationed _with me_ and _in_ my unit!”

The scent of fear is thick in the room, as if the colonel was only _just_ remembering who it was he was talking to.  The man nods.

“I’ll see that it happens,” he says.

“Thank you,” Steve says, straightens from where he slammed his hands down on the colonel’s desk at some point.  “You know where to find us if you need anything else.”

 

-x-

 

The thing about Texas is that it’s not New York, it’s not Brooklyn.  Steve and Bucky hate it immediately. 

Natasha and Sam had offered to kidnap them and Steve was beginning to wonder if it was too late to take them up on the offer.

Steve and Bucky had been ordered to report to Fort Hood and had been here for a week.  Steve was still waiting to see what the Army wanted to do with him – if they were going to give him a unit before sending him over to Afghanistan, or if he’d take over one when he got there.

“This place is hell,” Bucky groaned as he stretched out underneath the shade of a tree.  They would have been inside, but the air conditioning had broken.

Bucky was dressed in a tank top that had the Captain America shield in the center and basketball shorts and sneakers.  Steve wore the same but instead of a tank top he wore a grey ARMY shirt.

“It’ll be hotter in Afghanistan,” Steve said as he leaned against the tree.

“By the time they get us out there, it’ll be winter and we’ll miss most of the heat,” Bucky said.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Steve snorted, watching as a group of soldiers running in formation approached.

“Good afternoon, sir,” greeted the sergeant running ahead of her men.  She paused and turned to face her men, still running in place.  “Raise your voices, boys!  Sing pretty for Captain America!”

The soldiers did, began screaming about dirt and blood and war, about jumping from a C-130.  There’s a lyric that reaches Steve just before the group is about to turn the corner that makes him pause.

“If I die, don’t bring me back,” they shouted, “bury me with a bottle of Jack.”

“That’s awkward,” Bucky said after a beat.  He stretched his arms above his head, his shirt rucking up – the exposed patch of skin catching Steve’s eyes.  Bucky noticed, said, “Don’t, Stevie.  It’s too hot, even for me.”

“Guess that’s why they called you the _Winter_ Soldier, huh?” Steve asked, his lips curling up into a smirk.

“You’re funny,” Bucky deadpans, “you’re so funny.  Of all the things I forgot – I can’t believe I forgot how funny you are.”

“I’m hilarious,” Steve says, nudging Bucky with his foot.  They both sigh when a breeze picks up, offering them just the slightest reprieve.

“I can’t believe they were running,” Bucky says, pulling himself up so that he was sitting.

“They must be used to it,” Steve says.

“I’m bored, Steve,” Bucky says, looking up at Steve through his eyelashes, knowing the look will go straight to Steve’s dick (it did), “let’s go fuck somewhere.”

“Thought you just said it was too hot?” Steve says, still leaning against the tree and pretending that he absolutely cannot be bothered to move.

“I fucking lied,” Bucky says as he starts to stand.

“Need a _hand?_ ” Steve asks – only just barely managing to say it before he’s being tackled to the ground.

“You’re such a punk,” Bucky yells, trying to get Steve into some kind of hold.  But Steve wriggles away before jumping up and taking off, knowing Bucky will be hot on his heels.  And for a moment, the oppressive heat is forgotten.

“I’m sorry if my humor is _disarming_ ,” Steve yells over his shoulder.  He sees the group of soldiers who had run by them earlier and puts on a burst of speed.

“I’m going to kill you!” he hears Bucky roar.

“You can’t kill Freedom, Buck!” Steve cackles.

“Steve, for the love of God—!”

“—Bless America!” Steve sings. 

He doesn’t know where his good mood has come from – it might have simply been delirium from the heat, but he doesn’t care.  He glances over his shoulder, sees that Bucky was much closer – almost within reaching distance – than he had thought before.  He yelps and pulls away.

They’re gaining on the group of soldiers, who have by now noticed that they’re being chased.

Steve and Bucky pass them easily and Steve notes the wide-eyed awe in their faces, he also notes the freshness there – sees that they haven’t been to war yet.  It’s almost enough to temper his mood, but he shrugs it off.  These kids were volunteers, they knew what they were getting into.

So he and Bucky keep running.  They run until they’re out of road.

 

-

 

The temperatures cool eventually and neither of them have any idea what they’re still doing at Fort Hood.

They go to the hand-to-hand combat training sessions – offering their own expertise and offering to teach a few classes.  Well, Steve offers; Bucky says that he forgets to pull punches sometimes and he doesn’t want to accidently punch someone’s face in.

Steve had raised an eyebrow and Bucky had shrugged and said, “If I punch you, it’s okay.  You’re skull’s thick enough to take it.”

Steve shoved him, said, “Jerk.”

 

-x-

 

“Steve!” Bucky shouts, slamming open the door of their tiny Army apartment.  “Steve!”

“What is it?!” Steve yells, running out of the kitchen.  Bucky’s trying to talk too fast so his tongue keeps tripping over itself, the words coming out in not only English but also Russian and French and German, and Steve finally grabs his shoulders and shakes him a little.  “Bucky!  Calm down – tell me what’s wrong!”

“Paintball!” Bucky screams and the manic twinkling in his eyes is shining bright and he’s gripping Steve’s shirt.  “ _Paintball!_ ”

 

-x-

 

They’re still at Fort Hood two months later – their days spent playing paintball and teaching hand-to-hand to the fresher recruits, sharpening the skills of the veterans.  Sometimes, Steve sits in on classes at the base technical schools, soaking up whatever knowledge he can.

Bucky comes with him sometimes, but mostly he sticks to quiet corners – he likes that most of the younger soldiers are terrified of him. 

He almost passes out from laughing too hard when he tells Steve about the kid who had rounded a corner and smacked right into him – the kid had stuttered and stumbled back before doing a perfect about face and then taking off.

Another month passes and finally the base seems to breathe, seems to settle into itself.  Steve and Bucky relax more into a routine, instead of just finding sporadic ways to fill their time.

 

-x-

 

After some coaxing, Steve gets Bucky to come with him to the little bowling alley on base.

“Steve,” Bucky whispers, “you can’t bowl for shit.”

“That’s not the point, Buck,” Steve says, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning.  “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

“No,” Bucky says with a resigned sigh even as he grabs his jacket and heads towards the door, “no it won’t.  But because I’m such a fantastic husband – I’ll go with you.”

“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Steve deadpans, grabbing his keys and following Bucky out the door.

 

-

 

Bucky takes one look at bowling shoes being held out to him and laughs in Steve’s face.

 

-

 

It takes a few tries before either of them figure out how hard to throw their ball down the lane without breaking the boards or the pins.  The latter happening enough that Steve and Bucky start arguing about whose turn it is to go up to the counter to inform the employee.

“It’s okay, Buck, I’ll go up there with you,” Steve starts walking, but there’s a glint in his eyes and Bucky knows what’s coming, “if you need a _hand_?”

“That joke is never going to be funny,” Bucky grouses, fighting down a smirk.

A few of their students come up to them throughout the night – one of them a young woman.  “Sir,” she says to Steve, “I just wanted to thank you.” 

She tells him how her civilian boyfriend had thought it would be a good idea to throw a punch at her, forgetting that she told him about her hand-to-hand combat training with Captain-fucking-America – then she smirks dangerously (Steve thinks Natasha would’ve been proud).

“He won’t be doing that again,” she says.

“I’m glad,” Steve says and the two of them share a grin.  The woman bids them goodnight and turns and walks away.  And Steve figures that even if he’s not with the Avengers, not with Natasha or Sam or Clint (all of whom he misses) – this right here, helping his fellow soldiers, it’s something that he’s okay with.

“Fuck,” Bucky mutters, and he’s looking at Steve with resignation, “we’re staying, aren’t we?”

Steve just looks over at his husband with the big puppy eyes.  Bucky just raises his hands and goes to collect his bowling ball.  (It had been custom designed by Tony and was able to withstand Bucky’s metal grip.)  He waves at the technician who has just replaced the pin that Bucky broke and wonders how many spares will be left over by the end of the night.

“Just seems like we’re doing something good here,” Steve says after a few moments of silence.  “Instead of just sitting around in the Tower.”

“I _liked_ sitting around in the Tower,” Bucky says; Steve knows he’s arguing just for the sake of it.  “You never knew when Stark and Banner were going to blow something up, or when Hawkeye was going to fall out of an air vent, or Natasha was going kill you in your sleep.”

“You,” Steve corrects, chuckling, “she was going to kill _you_ in your sleep.  Nat and I are on good terms – you like to push her.”

Bucky doesn’t say anything, just shrugs and lets his ball loose down the lane.  Steve takes a moment to appreciate the view of Bucky half bent over.  Bucky turns and catches him staring, he lifts an eyebrow.

“What?” Steve asks.  “We’re married, I’m allowed to ogle.”

 “You’re allowed more than that,” Bucky grins, walking over to him and pressing a quick kiss against the corner of Steve’s mouth.  It’s chaste and sweet and pointedly doesn’t last long enough for someone to take a picture.

“You know you didn’t hit anything on that last roll, right?” Steve says, peeking over Bucky’s shoulders.

“Bullshit!” Bucky cries out, starting to dart forward as he flexed his left hand – the metal plates shifting.

“Bucky, no!” Steve laughs, reaching out and grabbing Bucky by the back of his collar.  Bucky lets Steve manhandle him, shoving him down into the seat before Steve retrieved his own ball and began his turn.

 

-x-

 

The CO of Fort Hood, General Rutherford, learns quickly that his life is much smoother if two things happen.

One – Captain America and the Winter Soldier are given free rein to do as they please (within certain parameters).

And two – they must not, under any circumstances, get bored.

 

-

 

“What happened?” General Rutherford asks again, fighting desperately to contain his sigh.

“He attacked us!” screams Major Boren, his finger pointing at the unrepentant Staff Sergeant Bucky Barnes.  Boren is about to open his mouth to scream some more when there’s a light knock on the general’s door.

“Come in,” Rutherford calls out.

The door opens and Steve walks in.  “Thank Christ,” Bucky says when he sees him.

“Sergeant,” Steve starts, his arms crossed over his chest and his biceps bulging, barely contained by the fabric of his Captain America uniform. (Bucky would be distracted, but he winces at Steve’s tone – it’s the one he uses when he’s about to _actually_ act like he’s Bucky’s CO.  It’s hot and scary at the same time – a dilemma Bucky’s been struggling with since Steve pulled him off Zola’s slab and asked him to join the Commandoes.) “Tell me there’s a good reason I had to cut my trip to the orphanage short.”

“Fuck, that was today,” Bucky wants to slam his head against the wall.

“Tell me there’s a good reason there’s an entire platoon standing out on the lawn caked head-to-toe in red paint,” Steve keeps going, his voice rising as he leans further into Bucky’s face. 

And, yeah, Bucky hasn’t seen Steve this upset since they had been pulled from the Tower and stationed here.  Bucky straightens up in the face of it.  But then the anger seems to just leave Steve and his shoulders sag and he shakes his head, disappointment radiating off him.

Bucky would rather face Steve’s anger then his disappoint any day.

Bucky wants to say _I’m sorry, Steve_ and _I know how much you looking forward to visiting the kids_.  But the major and the general are watching him, so he slips into his soldier’s monotone (soldier, not Soldier).

“I apologize for my actions, Captain Rogers,” he turns to the other officer, “Major Boren, for disrupting your training”

“Wait outside,” Steve orders, turning his back and dismissing Bucky.  Bucky turns to leave but he’s stopped by the Major’s next words.

“That’s it?” Major Boren snaps.  Then he whirls around on the general, “I demand disciplinary action!  And I demand that that action be decided by someone _other_ than Captain Rogers!”

Steve’s eyes slid over to the Major, narrowing.  “Are you trying to imply something?”  The temperature in the room seemed to drop and Bucky took an unconscious step backwards.

“No, I’m _saying it_ ,” Boren says, “is it really conceivable that you’ll be as harsh to Staff Sergeant Barnes as you would be to any other soldier?”

“We did okay in World War II,” Steve says, his voice icy and deceptively calm even as Bucky wanted to fist pump and say _fuck yeah, tell ‘im, Stevie_.

“This isn’t World War II,” Boren presses, foolishly taking a step towards Steve.

“And he’s not just any other soldier, our personal relationship aside,” Steve says, his voice rising again as his Irish temper flares.  He matches Boren’s step forward and it makes Boren freeze when he realizes how much bigger Steve is _up close_ and in full uniform with the shield on his back. “My staff sergeant is not held to the same rules as any other and it’d be smart of you to stop thinking otherwise.”

“Gentlemen,” Rutherford cuts in, “I still haven’t heard exactly what happened.”

“Training exercise,” Steve says, glaring over his shoulder at Bucky.  “He was tasked with working on the take down of large groups.  The platoon was supposed to be a willing participant.”

“If they were willing, they would have known I was coming and I would have lost the element of surprise,” Bucky explains, playing along with the charade Steve has set up for him.

“Perhaps,” Steve says and Bucky’s the only one who catches the way the corner of his lips twitches, “but then we wouldn’t be here.  Besides, you’re telling me that you need the element of surprise?”

Bucky’s mouth drops because that’s a _dare_.  It’s a dare and Steve is challenging him and Bucky grinds his teeth and sets his jaw.

“I’m the goddamned Winter Soldier,” Bucky snaps, his eyes narrowing, “I don’t need handicaps.”

“Prove it,” General Rutherford cuts in (he’s gotten up from his desk and moved to the window, his shoulders shaking suspiciously as he looks out over where Boren’s platoon was lined up).  He turns and looks at a stunned Captain America and Major Boren before he shrugs his shoulders.  “Captain, I give you and Staff Sergeant Barnes the privilege to conduct surprise attacks on anyone you deem fit.  I want reports by the end of the week about how each platoon fares.”

“Yes, sir,” Steve says, his mouth twitching as he fights a smile.

“General—”

“That’s all,” General Rutherford says.  “Captain, make sure to put together a clean-up detail to be on standby.  I don’t need paint all over my base.”

“Yes, sir!”

 

-

 

At first, Steve limited their impromptu “attacks” to platoons who were actively engaged in physical training, in PT.

Then Bucky has a Bad Night; Steve was already awake from his own nightmares.  “You wanna?” Bucky asks.  He’s jittery and Steve can see he’s itching for a fight – they both are; have been for weeks now.

“Sure,” Steve says.  They roll out of bed and put on their dark tactical gear.  Just as they head out, Steve phones the leader of the platoon who’s next on his list.

 

-

 

 Bucky slips around the smaller barracks building quietly, the kid who is supposed to be patrolling has nodded off against the side of the building.

It’s easy enough to simply walk up behind the kid and wrap a hand around his mouth.  Bucky pulls him back and away from the building – not wanting the kid’s sudden struggles to alert anyone who might be awake inside.

“Shut the fuck up, kid,” Bucky snaps; he grins when he hears the soft report from Steve’s gun.  When the kid sees who it was who shot him he goes lax and Bucky pulls his hand away.  “Congratulations, kid,” Bucky says, “you’re tonight’s first casualty.  Go stand on the road at attention until the rest of your platoon can join you in death.”

The kid opens his mouth to reply, probably to yell (because that’s what he’s been conditioned to do), but Bucky clamps his hand over the kid’s mouth again.

“You’ll do it without a fucking word.”

The kid nods jerkily.

“Then _get_ ,” Steve snarls and the kid takes off like a bullet.

Bucky smirks before he grabs a flash-bang grenade from his belt.  “Look, Steve,” he whispers as he points to an open window, “it’s just like fucking Christmas.  That little asshole’s never going to forget to close his window again.” 

Steve laughs silently and Bucky waits for Steve to get in position by the door – when he is, Bucky flips the grenade in through the window.  He hears one of the young soldiers stir and then cry out, but it’s too late to do anything.

After the bang, Bucky darts over to the back door and kicks it in just moments after Steve’s kicked in the front.

“Rise and shine, boys!” Bucky yells.  “The enemy will not care if it’s three am on a Sunday – move your asses!”

Steve and Bucky move together, flipping beds and tearing open trunks and strewing the contents everywhere.  They always make it a point to never touch the kids – too aware of their own strength, instead, they light the recruits up with the paintballs.

The kids – if their drill instructors have taught them right – are to try to get to the center of the barracks where a sack of paintball rifles and pistols waits for them.  They have to figure out how to use the objects around them in order to fend off Steve and Bucky’s assault until they reach that bag.  Once someone has been shot, they’re supposed to immediately exit the building.

No one ever makes it to their bag.

 

-

 

Before long, getting woken up in the dead of night on some random day by Captain America and the Winter Soldier becomes a rite of passage for each platoon.

Horror stories of what happens during those nights are whispered in the mess between frightened recruits – things like how Captain America’s eyes glowed in the dark, how the Winter Soldier would scream and break the bones of those who didn’t move fast enough.

 

-

 

After one of the raids/beatings, a story starts going around about one recruit who tried to argue with Captain America, had called him every homophobic slur in the book even as piss ran down between his legs.  They say that the only sounds were of the Winter’s Soldier’s metal arm powering up before grabbing the recruit by his dog tags and throwing him out of a window.

Not long after the story has made the rounds, a recruit walks into the mess – head down and eyes rimmed with red, his face is cut up and his arms have multiple lacerations.  The whole mess hall goes quiet.  The kid shakes under the scrutiny, shakes under the weight of everyone knowing what he did.

During that silence, Captain America walks in, dressed in his working uniform (the drill instructors, the DIs, immediately call everyone to attention).  He goes right up to the kid and grabs him by the chin, jerking his face up so he could see the cut marks from the glass, the bruising and swelling around the eye where Bucky’s metal fist had hit before grabbing his tags. 

“Recruit,” the Captain says, “there’s no room for bigotry in my army.  If you want to crawl through the dirt with the unevolved – you should’ve joined the Marines.  Are we going to have any more problems?  Should I just send you over to Pendleton now?”

“Sir, no, sir!” the boy yells, his fists shaking and tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. 

“If I catch you so much as _looking_ at myself or anyone else in such a way that offends me,” Steve yells, leaning in close, “I will beat the shit out of you.”

He turns away from the boy then, looks out at the sea of the faces in front of him. 

“Anyone else here got something to say about who I fuck?”

The answering roar is immediate: “ _Sir, no, sir!_ ”

 

-

 

“I love it when you get all threatening and dangerous,” Bucky hums as he straddles Steve, pressing biting kisses down Steve’s chest as he grinds him down into their couch.

Steve laughs and whispers, “Prove it.”

Bucky shivers in his arms and rips Steve’s uniform away with his metal hand.

 

-x-

 

It’s a beautiful Saturday and Steve doesn’t want to do anything except take a nap in the sun.  That’s it, that’s all he wants.

Bucky’s making it difficult.

Steve cracks his eyes open and glares at his husband.  Then he promptly sits up, his mouth dropping open.

“Bucky,” Steve grinds his teeth and glares, “what is this?”

Bucky shrugs and says, “I’m tired of you being richer than me, so I’m pimping you out.”

Steve closes his eyes, counts to ten.  Then to twenty.  Then back down to zero.

 “Meet and Greet with Captain America!” Bucky starts shouting as a platoon comes running their way.  He waves at them and Steve knows this has to be a new form of torture – either for him or for these obviously brand new recruits (just one stutter stop-step and the DIs would savage them).  “Only five dollars!”

“Good afternoon, sir?” asks one of the drill inspectors, her grin wide as she stops to salute.  Steve nods in acknowledgement (he wasn’t in uniform, so he doesn’t return the salute).

“It is for someone,” he gestures to Bucky as he stands.  He walks over to the sign and goes to pull the stake the poster was attached to out of the ground – but Bucky’s metal hand on his wrist stops him.  “Bucky,” he says warningly.

“I worked hard at the sign, Steve,” Bucky counters.

“I don’t want to be pimped out!”

“It’s not like the Soviets were paying me per hit!”

“You have back pay!”

“Which is pennies compared to what you got!”

“It’s all in the same account!”

“Well, glad to see that nothing’s changed while you two have been away,” says a voice from behind them.  Steve turns and sees Natasha and Sam.

(The platoon had moved off as soon as Bucky grabbed Steve’s wrist.)

“Have you come to take us back?” Steve asks (he doesn’t beg).

“We just wanted to make sure you were alive,” Natasha says, a hint of reprimand in her voice.  “Since no one’s heard from you for a few days.”

“Oh, shit,” Steve says, “that’s what I forgot to do.”

“There was an _incident_ ,” Bucky’s voice darkens and his eyes flash.

“What happened?” Sam asks, wanting all of the gossip.

Bucky waves a hand, “Just some homophobic kid who was probably just repeating words he’d grown up hearing from drunk old rednecks.  Surprised he didn’t start with some ‘the South will rise again’, bullshit.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Steve says, looking over at another platoon that was running towards them, “nothing we haven’t heard a hundred times before.  Nothing we won’t hear a hundred times more.”

“Well,” Sam says, clearing his throat, “Nat and I got the next one, hm?”

Steve chuckles, dry and humorless before he says, “Yeah, okay, Sam.”

 

-

 

Natasha and Sam help them with the next platoon on Steve’s list.  This time, Steve wants to do it when other platoons are around.  He wants to see what they’ll do while also making a show of Black Widow’s and Falcon’s presence.

The platoon is jogging down a street – the obstacle course on one side is in use, and there’s a mandatory fun day for the motor pool division in the park on the other side.

The drill instructor doesn’t know what do when he sees Natasha step into the middle of the street, only a few feet away.

“Hey, boys,” she grins, deceptively sweet, “I’m looking for someone – he’s six-two, blond, may be dressed as an American flag.  He’s got a shield?”

The DI shouts for his recruits to run in place as he walks towards her.

“He was last seen with another man – short brown hair and a metal arm?”

“Look—” a large shadow passes over him and he immediately looks up to see Falcon swooping in low, pistols aimed and pointed.  The DI throws himself to the side and looks up in time to see Widow with her guns raised and the taste of paint in his mouth.  “Shit,” he mutters, hangs his head.

Falcon dives down again, cuts off the soldiers who tried to disappear into the park; then Steve and Bucky appear like ghosts from the obstacle course.

 

-

 

“I thought you said this was supposed to be a challenge?” Natasha asks, lowering her weapons.

“It’s character building,” Steve answers, watching as the recruits realigned themselves – each of them covered with one or two large paint circles.  “Besides,” he looks around, “a few of them are supposed to have weapons.”

“We were told these weren’t happening anymore, sir,” the drill instructor says.

“Oh, well this is awkward,” Sam says.

Steve hears one of the kids murmur to the boy next to him: “Dude, we just got shot up by Black Widow – this is the best fucking day of my life.”

Steve laughs and shares a look with Bucky, who had also heard what the kid had said.  Bucky looks over to Natasha and says something to her in Russian.

“No, James,” she says, her eyes narrowing; Bucky grins wider and makes cooing noises.  It shouldn’t have been a surprise when Natasha raises her gun and shoots Bucky between the eyes.

Everyone freezes.

Then Steve is raising his M4.

 

-

 

They manage to keep the damage to a minimum, but a few of the recruits who were witnesses talk about the nightmares they’ll be having for the rest of their lives.

 

-

 

Natasha towels her hair before she settles on Steve’s couch.

“So, have they told you what they want to do with you yet?” she asks Steve even as she looks at Bucky.

“The Army’s always been a fan of the ‘hurry up and wait’ policy,” Steve says, shrugging his shoulder, “they’ll tell us when they tell us.  I’m not wringing my hands over it.”

Natasha nods, understanding.

 

-

 

Their orders finally come through a year after living at Fort Hood.  They were to report to Afghanistan to take over a special ops unit.


	2. the army reclaims bucky and steve

He looks Tony up and down – fights to keep his opinions to himself.  But then Tony opens his mouth, talking about all the _good_ he’s done, all the _bad_ his fought.

“Big man in a suit of armor,” Steve looks down at Tony.  “Take that off, what are you?”

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” Tony snaps back.

Steve feels the anger bubbling in his chest, knows it’s irrational – but Tony is just the barest shadow of Howard, a gross reminder that men like Tony are allowed to live while others (( _Bucky_ )) fall away to only distant memory.

So he sneers, “I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.”  There’s a flash of something across Tony’s face that let’s Steve know his words have hit home, that let’s Steve know that Tony already knows that.  Steve doesn’t know if that’s comforting or not.


	3. the fairy steve au

“Steve’s a fairy,” Bucky says, takes a bite of his pizza (Tony’s choking on his own slice) then gestures to the movie, “I think he would like this movie.”

“Steve’s gay?” Clint asks, eyes shining bright.

“Well, that, too,” Bucky says before turning back to the _Maleficent_ preview that was just ending, “but that’s not the point.  This movie – it looks like it could well represent the complex social dynamics of fae society.  I think Steve’ll like it.”

“What will I like?” Steve asks, coming into the room.  He frowns at Tony and pats him on the back until the man stops choking.

“You’re gay?” Clint interrupts.

Steve turns his frown in Clint’s direction, says: “I’ve been with Bucky since before the War, Clint, how is this news to you?  How are you even a spy?”

“He said you were a fairy!” Tony erupts, finally having caught his breath.

Steve glares at the side of Bucky’s head.  “You can’t just tell people that, Bucky.”

“Didn’t know it was secret,” Bucky says, frowning down at his pizza.  He hands it to Steve, “Can you heat this for me?”

Steve shakes his head and snorts before he waves a hand over the pizza.

“Oh, fuck!” ClInt yells.  “You meant he’s an **_actual_** _fairy!_   He’s a goddamned Tinkerbelle!  Hold up, I’m calling Natasha!”

Steve watches worriedly as Clint scrambles for his cell phone.

“How did we not know this?” Tony says, getting Steve’s attention.  “Shouldn’t that have been a little footnote in your file or something?”


	4. thundershield outside pov

Monsters and magic and all the things that you’ve never been trained for and it _fucking_ hurts.  You and Clint watch as Tony and Steve dance, as Tony falls, as Steve turns to Thor because Thor isn’t vulnerable or weak or susceptible to Time.


	5. time traveling darcy

It all started with an accident.  She just remembers a flash of light and then a tugging and then she’s doubling over with her hands on her knees and she can’t breathe.

 

-

 

She ghosts between the cages – darting into the shadows where no one can see her.

Then she finds her way to a room, sees a man strapped to a table.

“James Barnes,” he says, delirious. (It’s a name everyone knows – a name everyone fears.)

She creeps closer, edging along the walls until she can see his face – and _yep_ , she thinks.  _Holy shit_ , she thinks.

Because that’s the _Winter Soldier’s_ face – the same one that was blasted all over the news just three weeks ago.


	6. steve - a/b/o - mpreg - unwanted pregnancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve had no use for a pup that would remind him of all that he’s lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--Ends mid-sentence whoops

“What do you mean you don’t want it?” Tony asks, going still.  Everyone else was staring too.

Steve wipes the gel from his stomach and fixes his shirt as he swings his legs off of the bed.  “Exactly that, Tony,” Steve says, voice low as he pointedly doesn’t look at anyone.

“But it’s a miracle—” Bruce says.

Steve’s head whips up as he whirls on Bruce, snarls, “This _thing_ inside me is no miracle.”

“Steve—” Natasha starts, but Steve whirls on her, too.

“I’m not explaining myself,” he warns, his hands curling into fists.

“Doesn’t matter anyway,” Tony cuts in.  “No one is going to give Captain America an abortion – even if it was legal.”

“Then I’ll carve the damn thing out myself,” Steve yells.

 

-

 

He had no use for a pup that would remind him of all that he’s lost.

Bucky was dead and gone and Steve didn’t need to be reminded of that each time he looked down at himself or


End file.
